For submissions, the Gaines Award is accepting novels or short-story collections published in 2018, as well as galleys for 2018 publications. The winner receives a $10,000 award.

Submissions are judged by a national literary panel and the winner will be announced in November. The award ceremony will take place on January 24, 2019 at the Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge. The event honors both the winning author and Mr. Gaines.

Information about the criteria required and entry forms are available at www.ernestjgainesaward.org.

A Louisiana native, Gaines’ critically acclaimed novel “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” was adapted into a 1974 made-for-TV movie that received nine Emmy awards. His 1993 book “A Lesson Before Dying” won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.